


Too Little, Too Late

by Yessica



Series: Febuwhump 2021 [11]
Category: Left 4 Dead (Video Games)
Genre: Blood and Injury, First Kiss, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions, M/M, Major Character Injury, Nick Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-16 07:14:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29449884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yessica/pseuds/Yessica
Summary: Nick and Ellis almost run out of chances to say something important. (Febuwhump day 13 - Hiding an injury)
Relationships: Ellis/Nick (Left 4 Dead)
Series: Febuwhump 2021 [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2138808
Comments: 1
Kudos: 22





	Too Little, Too Late

"Fuck, we should split up!"

Nick wasn't sure if the others had even heard him over the deafening roar of gunfire, but he had to take the risk. He saw Coach and Rochelle veer to the left, so turned right at the next corner himself. Heavy panting behind him indicated Ellis was following him.

They kept running, the muscles in Nick's leg started straining but he pushed forward until the sound of bullets was gone and it was only their own feet against the pavement. His lungs burned with the effort to keep going. They had to put as much leeway between them and the bastards as they could manage.

They finally came to a stop in an alleyway, the sudden silence eerie as it fell over them. The bandits' shouting had faded in the distance, and they probably wouldn't pursue a lone group of survivors this far, to begin with. Their supplies couldn't be worth that much trouble.

"Shit-" Ellis managed between deep inhales to catch his breath. "Haven't run that far since I did track back in high school."

Nick wheezed. "Yeah?" He was really starting to regret all those years he spent smoking with this whole apocalypse thing going on now.

The alley they had landed in was a backstreet between two brick buildings, made even narrower by the fire escape squeezed between. Nick straightened his back and was rewarded with a sharp pain shooting into his side.

He pressed a hand to the wound, feeling the slick warmth of blood. The stain would hardly be visible on his ruined suit, dirty from weeks of accumulated end of the world shit.

A ricochet wound. One of the bandit's bullets must have knicked him.

"So how do we get back to the others?" Ellis asked. He had been standing with his back towards Nick, and when he turned around to face him, Nick pulled his jacket over the injury.

They didn't have time for Ellis to fuzz over him right now.

"Let's see if we can get to higher ground, orient ourselves." Nick brushed the sweat-slick hair from his forehead. "Should be easy to spot our rendez-vous from the roof."

Ellis grinned at him. "Let's do it then."

* * *

"Damn Nick, you can see the whole city from up here."

Nick grunted, unable to answer at first through how hard he was grinding his teeth. The pain was getting worse.

But he forced himself to speak anyway. "Yeah? Can you see those pricks who were shooting at us?"

Ellis was leaning on the metal bar at the edge of the roof, the wind almost blowing his cap away. He held onto it with one hand.

"Nope, but I can see where we are supposed to head."

"Great, let's get the fuck out of here then." Nick couldn't wait to get back to the others. He was too old for this shit.

"Hey, Nick. You alright man?" Ellis was staring at him, scrutinizing his face with unusual consideration. Nick bit his tongue hard to keep from showing how much pain he was in.

"Just peachy once we get off this roof," he answered.

Ellis nodded and lead the way.

* * *

It couldn't be that far. It couldn't be. They had to be almost there.

He felt the sweat run down the back of his neck, not from exertion this time. Nick's hands kept shaking and he gripped the Glock tighter, feeling the strength in his fingers fade too.

How much blood had he lost?

The room was swaying side to side and he just stood there as Ellis searched the cabinets, pulling out a bottle of alcohol. "We could probably use this for a molly." He gestured at nick with the bottle.

Nick couldn't even find it in himself to respond. Nausea was creeping up his throat. He had realized a while ago that the wound might be a lot worse than he had judged it to be, but with no time to lose and no sense in putting themselves in any more danger by stopping and playing field medicine, he had pushed himself to bear it.

That wouldn't work much longer.

"Nick?" He realized too late that Ellis was talking to him. Probably had been for a while now. Nick had to blink just to focus. "Nick, what's happening?" A hand reached out for him.

"El-"

Then the world shifted and Nick was on his ass.

He didn't hit the ground as hard as he thought he'd have, which meant Ellis must have caught him halfway down. He was slumped against the ground and Ellis was pulling at his suit jacket. The bullet hadn't graced Nick, but rather hit him inches above the hip bone. It must have exited on the other side – Nick had enough experience to know when a heated piece of metal was still stuck inside him – but that hadn't helped with the bleeding.

Ellis cursed under his breath, untied the overall sleeves around his waist, and ripped off a piece to press against the oozing wound. Nick jerked as the pressure renewed the pain, but avoided kneeing Ellis in the face for his troubles. A cough suddenly forced its way out of his throat and he hadn't realized until then how hard it was to breathe.

"Nick, why didn't you say nothing!" Ellis was scolding him. At a time like this, and the kid was going to mother hen him. Nick laughed, but it was humorless and empty.

"Didn't want to be a bother."

Ellis frowned, every line on his face standing out between the dirt and blood smeared on it. His eyes were dark blue, like the ocean at low tide. When it all pulls back and reveals the white sand beneath the surface. But when Ellis grinned, they shone. "You pick now to stop being a selfish asshole?"

A coldness engulfed Nick's fingertips. He didn't want to think about how pathetic it was to be immune to a deadly pathogenic but then die in an apartment building because 911 is out of service.

He cleared his throat, tasting iron at the back of it. "This might be your last chance to say something to me, Kid. You should make it count," he said. "Or make it something nice at least."

Ellis' eyes grew wide. Suddenly wetness was pooling in them and they seemed even more like the ocean, brimming with tears. "Shut the fuck up, Nick. You're not- You're not supposed to say that."

"Yeah? I'm saying it anyway. Give me your best shot."

It wasn't meant to be a challenge but figures Ellis would take it as one anyway. For a moment he wasn't pressing down on the wound anymore, cold fingers coming up to trace Nick's face, cup his cheeks. The tears spilling from his eyes and getting caught in his lashes. "You're not dying, you asshole. Not when I haven't had a chance to tell you I loved you yet."

For once in his life, Nick was clean out of retorts. So instead he used the last remaining power in his limbs to bring up one hand and grab hold of Ellis' shirt, pulling him forward and down into a kiss. It was messy and hard and not very romantic, tasting of blood and despair. There was barely any oxygen between the two of them so it couldn't even last that long.

But it was a farewell kiss if Nick's ever had one.

He fell back against the wall, energy spent. The pain was unbearable, making dark spots dance in his vision. He gave into them at the same moment he heard Ellis call his name again.

* * *

Hours later Nick woke up with a splitting headache and the world's worst case of back pain. He couldn't move, a restricting bandage around his stomach making it even worse, but just enough to turn his head and look around.

Nick was already surprised enough to be waking up at all, but even more that he would do so in their safe room.

Rochelle and Couch were sitting against the opposite wall, her head resting on the big man's shoulder and a blanket had been thrown over the both of them to keep them warm. Nick felt palatable relief at seeing them safe and sound, though he hardly would show it.

He didn't need to be a genius to figure out what had happened. They had been close enough after all.

Ellis on his other side, trying hard to sit still but too busy fidgeting in the spot. He looked tired, like he hadn't slept all night.

"Did you stay up just to watch me?" Nick asked.

Ellis' eyes flew open, his face shifting rapidly between worry and then reassurance at seeing Nick awake. He wiped at his eyes, red-rimmed. "Just keeping an eye on you, 's all."

When Ellis smiled it felt like the weight of the world was lifted off Nick's shoulders.

Then the kid worried his lip between his teeth, turning suspiciously red. "Uh, are we gonna like... talk about what happened."

Ah, shit.

Nick tried to roll over onto his side but the wound wouldn't allow it. He closed his eyes instead. "I guess. Tomorrow. After you get some sleep."

"Right." Ellis nodded, looking away. Him blushing in a situation like this was almost cute, but that might just be the pain clouding Nick's mind.

That too could wait until tomorrow.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Febuwhump, requested by Zeke. Come throw me some requests on [Tumblr](http://sharada-n.tumblr.com/)


End file.
